WhatsApp is Ruining Your Life
8 ways to shield your personal life.
Read on Substack
Read time - Less than 10 minutes
WhatsApp is the worst app in the workplace.
If I had the power, I'd ban work messaging and calling after working hours.
In today’s newsletter, I will talk about why the rise of communication apps brings more harm than good, and the 8 ways to counter that 👇
Have you experienced times when you’re so tired from work, that you want a quick shower, have dinner and maybe chill with Netflix?
Then your phone goes “PING!”
It’s a message from your superior: “Hey, could you help with this real quick?”
With the rise of communication apps in the workplace, everything that previously could be sorted out the next day suddenly becomes "urgent" and "ASAP".
We may be unaware, but such intrusion into our personal space is detrimental to our mental health.
According to a study from CNA, workers whose supervisors expected them to reply beyond working hours experienced elevated levels of psychological distress at 70.4%.
Greg McKeown, who wrote Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, has 8 ways of saying no or declining politely.
Let’s explore the 8 ways:
1) Count to 3 before responding
Rather than feeling the pressure to say yes right away, pause and count to 3 seconds, then express your decision.
2) Use “no, but…”
Greg McKeown shared in this book that he was invited for a coffee meetup.
This was his response:
”I am consumed with writing my book right now :) But I would love to get together once the book is finished. Let me know if we can get together towards the end of the summer.”
3) Say: “Let me check my calendar and get back to you.”
If you’re hardworking, it’s no surprise that you’ll be the go-to person for various projects.
To regain control, respond with, "Let me check my calendar and get back to you”.
This allows you time to reflect and decline commitments.
4) Use autoresponders
Receiving an automated response is socially acceptable these days.
Here’s how to set an autoresponder in WhatsApp:
You can write something like:
"Dear Friends, I am currently attending to something. Unfortunately, I am unable to respond as promptly as I would like. I apologize for any inconvenience."
5) Say: “Yes. What should I deprioritize?”
It’s not uncommon to have endless tasks thrown towards you.
You can say:
"Certainly, I can prioritize that. However, to focus on this new task, could you guide me on which existing projects I should deprioritize?"
Or you could express your commitment to delivering quality work by saying:
"I want to ensure I excel in my responsibilities. Considering my current commitments, I'm concerned that taking on this additional task might compromise the quality of my work. Is there a project you suggest I scale back on?"
6) Inject some humour
Here’s how Greg McKeown did it:
“I recently was asked by a friend to join him in training for a marathon. My response was simple: “Nope!” He laughed a little and said, “Ah, you practice what you preach.” Just goes to show how useful it is to have a reputation as an Essentialist!
7) Use the words: “You are welcome to do this. I am willing to do that.”
For example:
"You are welcome to kickstart the meeting. I am willing to provide you the details for discussion."
It’s a nice way of saying: “I won’t attend the meeting”.
8) Say: “I can’t do it, but he might be interested.”
It might be tempting to believe that our assistance holds a unique value.
However, those seeking help often don’t care as long as their needs are met.
Conclusion
Even though we are still far from achieving the perfect work-life harmony, there are ways to counter work intrusions.
To revise, here are the 8 ways:
Count to 3 before responding
Use “no, but…”
Say: “Let me check my calendar and get back to you.”
Use autoresponders
Say: “Yes. What should I deprioritize?”
Inject some humour
Use the words: “You are welcome to do this. I am willing to do that.”
Say: “I can’t do it, but he might be interested.”
And if you can, elect me because I’ll ban work messaging after working hours.
(Just kidding)
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